Lap forming apparatus



Feb, 25, 1936.

.1. WEINBRENNER 2,@32,076

LAP FORMING APPARATUS Filed June 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l 193%, J. WEINBRENNER EJ032376 LAP FORMING APPARATUS Filed June 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wag/w Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE In G 1 Claim.

In the U. S. patent application Serial No. 640,232 filed Oct. 29, 1932, has been described an apparatus for automatically preparing lap rollers in winding machines, deflecting frames and the like. According to said invention, the machine is stopped as soon as the lap roller reaches the desired size, and simultaneously a pair of rack bars 34 are lifted for the purpose of freeing the lap roller and expelling same with appropriate means. The clutching of the machine is again performed by dropping down the rack bars and the pressure roller 41 under the action of their proper weight.

It has been found that this starting of the machine, by means of the transmission described in the aforesaid specification, is produced in a very rough manner and that the roller 41 badly hurts the new wooden core 44 introduced in the machine for a new winding. This rough starting of the machine has for result that the upper feeding rollers, which are not positively driven as is well known, are subjected to delaying and gliding, so as to produce cuttings in the slivers and fleece with a subsequent detrimental effect in the manufacture of yarns.

The object of the present invention consists in a starting mechanism with braking device for the downwardly dropping rack bars, in order to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks.

The object of the invention differs from the known devices used for braking rack bars such as they are used at present in such machines, by the fact that, for the purpose of reducing to a minimum the stopping period of the machine after freeing the rack bars, the latter drop down freely during the main portion of their downward stroke, and that afterwards occurs a braking which is starting smoothly, however rapidly in creasing, said braking action being cancelled again before the end of the stroke, whereas simultaneously a smooth starting of the machine by means of a clutching device occurs during the terminal portion of the stroke of the rack bars.

The object of the invention has been illustrated in four figures in the accompanying drawings.

Figs. 1 and 2 show diagrammatically front and lateral elevations of a lap-forming and deflecting frame.

Fig. 3 illustrates, on somewhat larger scale than on Fig. 1, the braking device for the down- Wardly dropping rack bars.

Fig. 4 illustrates, on larger scale than on Fig. 1, the device for expelling the finished lap roller.

The expelling of the finished lap roller is perermany June 28, 1933 formed by the lifting of the rack bars 34 as described in the aforesaid specification.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 4 in this connection, as the pressure roller 4! rises due to the increase in the size of the lap roller 5 being formed, a bar 68 slidable in a housing 68a freely mounted on the shaft of the pressure roller 41 also rises. Sufficient play is left to the bar 58 in its housing 68a to avoid wedging. When the roller 35 reaches the desired size, the other end of the bar 68 which is fixed to the disc 69 causes a partial rotation of the latter about its axis, so that a projection '16 (Fig. 4) provided on the disc 69 frees a catch pawl Ill and thus releases the lever 1 I.

The lever H acted upon by the counterweight 12, presses the finished roller to the collecting container 13. The rotation of lever H also frees the fresh wooden core 44, which drops intermediate the winding rollers l4.

The clutch element 54 remains disconnected during the normal running of the machine. As said herebefore, the rack bars are raised by accumulation of material on the lap roll, and after the required amount is wound up, the clutch 54 is thrown in by the shaft 84 and levers I03, 53 (Fig. 2). This throwing in secures connection with the auxiliary drive of the machine 99, llll, I01, I (Fig. l) of said rack bars and of the rollers l4. Simultaneously, the clutch 61 is dis- 30 connected by the shaft 84, the gears 9|, the disc 92, the cam 94 and the lever 66 as described in my co-pending application Ser. No. 732,137, filed June 23, 1934, for Lap-forming apparatus.

The throwing in of clutch 54 secures a rapid raising of the rack bars and the required rotation of rollers M for the expelling of the wound lap.

The lifting of the rack bar 34 causes the rotation of the pair of gears 50, the pinion 50 is mounted upon the shaft 14, which is rotated by the pinion l5 meshing with the rack bar 34, so as to be rotated by the lifting of said rack bar.

The pinion 5! has a catch 52, which disconnects the coupling 54 by means of the lever 53 after the expelling of the lap roller, the rack bar 45 34 becoming thus freed. The rack bar'34 and the pressure roller 41 now drop down under their own weight, so that said pressure roller falls upon the newly introduced wooden core 44.

In order to prevent a violent fall, the rack bar I is braked by means of a. braking device as illustrated in Fig. 3. The catch 55 provided upon the rack bar engages with the lever 56, which swings about its pivot center 51, pulls upon the spring 58, so that the brake-shoe 59 is pressed against the brake-disc 5| by means of the lever 60, and thereby the dropping rack bar 34 is braked by means of the pinion 15.

By the now smooth downward movement of the rack bar 34, the catch 63 provided on same engages the crank lever 84 (Fig. 1 so that the coupling 61 is thrown in by means of the rod 65 and the double-armed lever '65, and the machine is again started.

I claim:

In an automatic lap-forming apparatus of the type described in which the finished lap roller is expelled under the action of ascending rackbars; a device for a. mechanical braking of the free dropping movement of said rack bars towards the end of the stroke and comprising a pinion meshing with the rack bar, a disc coaxial with said pinion, a brake-shoe acting upon said disc,

a spring-controlled lever system operating the brake-shoe, a catch upon the rack bar timely en: gaging the lever system, and a second lever system, a second catch upon the rack bar engaging said second lever system for throwing in the main movement transmission of the machine, sub- J ULES WEINBRENNER. 

